Xie Zhengtang

Biodata

Background

Xie Zhengtang was born to the Xie family’s inner-city lineage but later moved to Qingwu County’s outer city. He once studied relentlessly for the imperial examinations, repeatedly failed, and ultimately gained a hereditary salt license through an influential patron he met in the examination halls. He then built a commercial network of ships, carriages, salt warehouses, branch offices, clerks, merchants, guards, and escort leaders. 2 According to Mai Wenshan, the patron may have had a connection to Zhengtang’s first wife, Su Ru. 50

He is the father of Xie An, courtesy name Mingxi, the household’s legitimate eldest son and heir. His eldest daughter, Xie Yu, was believed dead for years; she was later revealed to have survived after being skinned alive and subjected to Returning Dragon Abbey’s Beast-Making Art. Zhengtang considers her fate the result of his own past mistake. 1 29 30

After Xie Yu’s ordeal and a conflict with the inner-city Xie Clan, Zhengtang pleaded with Dragon King Stronghold to save her and offered it one million taels. The Xie Household subsequently supported the stronghold’s growth in secret for more than a decade, becoming its strongest outside ally and helping prepare a place there for Xie An. 83 84

Appearance

Xie Zhengtang is a man over forty with graying temples. He is commonly seen in a gray long robe or the formal robes of a wealthy gentleman, often smoking a dry tobacco pipe. 2 6

• Carries himself with the reserved authority of a long-established merchant and household head.
• His expression can turn visibly pale and rigid when confronted with threats to his family. 29
• He is frequently depicted kneeling in devout worship at the White Goddess Shrine. 15 29 44

Personality

Xie Zhengtang is stern, guarded, and intensely paternal. He initially dismisses Xie An’s account of ghosts as drug-induced delusion, not because he disbelieves it, but because he thinks ordinary people cannot survive such knowledge and wants his son to live without fear. 2

His protectiveness is tempered by ruthless pragmatism. When the Grain-Collecting Ghost threatens Li Family Village, he authorizes Uncle Shui to seize evil bandits for Returning Dragon Abbey’s required living sacrifices. He is willing to rely on dangerous spiritual powers and expose long-hidden family secrets when Xie An is endangered. 2 29

As Xie An matures, Zhengtang gradually abandons his old view of him as an idle wastrel. He comes to trust his son’s judgment, grants him unrestricted household resources for cultivation, and recognizes him as someone capable of sharing the family’s burdens. 34 Though concerned about the risks of Xie An’s martial training, he accepts Uncle Shui’s judgment that Xie An has his unorthodox art under control. He also refuses to force Xie An into a marriage with Mai Qiuyun merely for the sake of the family business. 49 65

“Mingxi is my only son. For Mingxi’s sake, I can give up everything!” 29

Resources and Influence

• Salt trade — Holds a hereditary salt license and operates an extensive commercial network across Qingwu County. 2
• Xie Household — Commands a large, wealthy residence with more than forty guards, numerous servants, medicinal stores, and affiliated businesses. 3 39
• Money house and Wuqiao holdings — The Xie Money House lent heavily to the Canal Gang, helping it expand its fleet and guards. The household has also secretly constructed granaries and silver vaults in Wuqiao Town. 38 50
• Yongsheng Martial Arts Hall — His patronage helped establish the hall’s standing among Qingwu County’s martial arts halls; Chen Mo states that its ranking was determined by his influence rather than martial strength alone. 17
• White Goddess Shrine — Maintains the Xie Clan shrine in Qingping Lane, where the household worships the entity publicly called the White Jade Goddess. The shrine conceals an evil god beneath a red cloth and is protected by the family’s secret spiritual inheritance. 15 43 44
• Supernatural countermeasures — Hires Returning Dragon Abbey Daoists, pays for rites, arranges sacrificial offerings, and deploys the shrine’s yellow lanterns to protect the Xie Residence. 5 29
• Dragon King Stronghold — Financed Xie Yu’s rescue with an offer of one million taels and supported the stronghold’s development for more than a decade. The family’s backing gives Xie An unusual standing there. 83 84

Story Role

Li Family Village Crisis

After Xie An returns from Li Family Village, Xie Zhengtang publicly denies the existence of ghosts but privately identifies the threat as a likely Grain-Collecting Ghost born from resentment over oppressive taxation. He arranges a costly ritual by Daoist Li Yunfeng and seeks protection from the White Jade Goddess. 2 5

When Li Yunfeng’s ritual fails and the supernatural danger escalates, Zhengtang and Uncle Shui continue investigating the village in secret rather than involving the authorities. Their attempts reveal that even Returning Dragon Abbey’s Daoists can be killed and manipulated by the force haunting the village. 15 21

Return of Xie Yu

As Xie An becomes the target of dream-based attacks, Zhengtang accepts that the family must use its hidden trump card: Xie Yu. He reunites with his daughter after ten years, overcome by guilt over her suffering, yet supports her decision to protect and teach Xie An under the identity of Daoist Master Yusu. 29 30

Yin Cloth Doll Conspiracy

After Yusu discovers a Yin Cloth Doll hidden beneath Xie An’s bed, Zhengtang orders a full investigation into the attack on his household. He allows Xie An and Xie Yu to pursue Zhou Yun and the conspiracy behind the dolls, while personally backing their efforts. 33 35

Xie An’s composure and plan to expose Zhou Yun’s superior convince Zhengtang that his son has changed. He grants Xie An access to the household’s martial resources and entrusts him to Xie Yu’s guidance. 34 When Xie Yu reports Xie An’s success against A Shan, Zhengtang is proud of his growth but alarmed that she knows precise details of the household’s secret Wuqiao Town holdings. 38

The White Goddess Shrine

Xie Zhengtang reveals the Xie Household’s secret path to the Spirit Preservation Method by bringing Xie An to the ancestral shrine. There, Xie An discovers that the being worshipped by the family as the White Jade Goddess is an evil god. Zhengtang nevertheless insists that Xie An show proper reverence and keep the shrine’s secrets from outsiders. 43 44

When practicing the method leaves Xie An severely weakened, Zhengtang initially wants him to stop until his cultivation is higher. After Xie Yu confirms that Xie An mastered Spirit Preservation in a single day, he allows their lessons to continue but decides that his son’s extraordinary talent must be kept secret. 45 46

Conflict with Returning Dragon Abbey

Zhengtang receives Registrar Xu Zhengyang and Canal Gang leader Mai Wenshan at the Xie Residence while Xie An investigates the Yin Cloth Doll plot. He recognizes that Xu’s apparent inquiry into Zhou Yun’s death is an attempt to locate his adopted daughter A Shan, and lets Xie An pursue his plan to draw Xu out. 48 49

After Xu takes A Shan from Cloudwater Residence, Zhengtang and Uncle Shui seek mediation from Hua Qianxiong, the influential abbot of Returning Dragon Abbey’s outer sect. Xu confesses and kills himself during the meeting. Zhengtang suspects that the confession conceals more than it reveals, but Hua’s authority prevents him from pressing the matter openly. Following the massacre of the Xu Household, Zhengtang and Uncle Shui join the investigation. 58 59 60

Festival and Long-Term Plans

The Xie Household organizes a large public festival near Li Family Village, providing porridge for refugees while attempting to drive out evil spirits independently of the established Daoist authorities. Zhengtang remains behind, assigning Uncle Shui to lead Xie An and telling his son to learn from the events rather than grow arrogant about his newfound strength. 65

During the ensuing confrontation with Hua Qianxiong, Uncle Shui reveals that he and Zhengtang have spent thirteen years preparing for that night. The household’s long-standing support of Dragon King Stronghold likewise forms part of its provision for Xie An’s future. 70 83 84

Relationships

• Xie An / Xie Mingxi — Legitimate eldest son and heir. Zhengtang conceals supernatural truths to protect him, later recognizes his maturity, and supports his cultivation and investigation work. He protects the secrecy of Xie An’s spiritual talent and has helped prepare a position for him at Dragon King Stronghold. 2 34 44 46 83 84
• Xie Yu / Daoist Master Yusu — Eldest daughter. Zhengtang carries profound guilt over her torture and separation, but accepts her role as Xie An’s secret mentor and protector. He secured help from Dragon King Stronghold after her ordeal. 29 30 35 83
• Su Ru — First wife and mother of Xie An and Xie Yu. Zhengtang regrets having wronged her; she died while the children were young. A patron connected to her may have helped him obtain his salt license. 5 30 50
• Uncle Shui / Su Shuibo — Sworn brother, trusted adviser, household guard captain, and collaborator in both business and supernatural affairs. The two spent thirteen years preparing for the household’s confrontation with its enemies. 2 15 29 70
• Zhou Lan — Second wife or concubine and mother of Xie Xiaoyu. Their household is portrayed as affectionate rather than openly divided by status. 6
• Xie Xiaoyu — Young daughter. Zhengtang encourages family harmony and rejects rigid distinctions between her and Xie An during family meals. 6
• Mai Wenshan and the Canal Gang — Longtime commercial associates. The gang’s expansion depended heavily on Xie Money House loans, while its control of waterways gives Mai leverage over the Xie Household’s salt shipments. 49 50
• Returning Dragon Abbey — A powerful but dangerous spiritual institution Zhengtang relies on for exorcism rites, despite its demands for living sacrifices and its connection to Xie Yu’s past suffering. His household later comes into conflict with its outer-sect abbot, Hua Qianxiong. 2 5 30 58 70
• Dragon King Stronghold — The Xie Household’s strongest outside alliance. Zhengtang funded Xie Yu’s rescue and the stronghold’s long-term growth, helping secure Xie An’s reception there. 83 84